Wednesday 15 June 2011

Tuna steak - the fish for non-fish-eaters


Some years ago, I discovered the wonder that is tuna steak. I ate it at a wonderful Italian restaurant called Mulinos in Milton Keynes. It wasn't on the menu, but the chef had sourced some fresh tuna steak that day. My elder son ordered it, and I was surprised when the waiter asked him how he would like it done. I mean, it's fish, right? Everyone knows that fish needs to be cooked right through, right? Wrong. Oh, so wrong.

My son ordered it medium rare, which is the way we all prefer our beef steak... and it was sheer bliss. I know. I tasted it. If I hadn't known it was fish, I would certainly not have guessed it from the taste (or the texture). Not that I have anything against fish, mind, but some fish has an overwhelmingly 'fishy' taste. Fresh tuna steak does not. Not even slightly.

Tuna steak should be cooked pretty much the same way you cook a beef steak - very hot pan, and then just a couple of minutes on each side (for a succulent, medium rare steak).

This is what I did with ours last night:

Ingredients
Two fresh tuna steaks
1 kaffir lime leaf, shredded
Juice of half a lime
1 small chilli, finely chopped
5ml grated ginger root
5ml chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves
2.5ml finely chopped lemon grass
5ml olive oil

Method
  • Mix all the ingredients (apart from the fish) together to form your marinade.
  • Place the steaks in the marinade, turning a few times to ensure that it is well coated.
  • Leave for about 10 minutes.
  • Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan over high heat until it is very hot.
  • Give the pan a quick spray of fry light or a light brushing with olive oil if necessary. If it's a really good pan, this won't be necessary.
  • Remove the steaks from the marinade and fry for two minutes on each side.
  • Serve with potato wedges and a garden salad.

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